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Credit: Nancy Lane

(092417 Foxboro, MA) New England Patriots wide receiver Brandin Cooks celebrates after getting his feet down in the end zone for the winning touchdown during the fourth quarter of the game against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on Sunday, September 24, 2017. Staff Photo by Nancy Lane

Credit: Associated Press

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, left, celebrates his touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandin Cooks (14) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

Credit: Associated Press

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady walks to the sideline after an offensive series of plays against the Houston Texans during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

FOXBORO — These Patriots comebacks never get old. And apparently, neither does Tom Brady.

The reigning champs were all but buried Sunday for the second time in as many games at Gillette Stadium, but Brady executed the 52nd game-winning drive of his career in their 36-33 victory against the Texans.

“Brady did it again,” Malcolm Butler gloated.

Despite getting sacked five times and hit on eight occasions behind a line that lacked right tackle Marcus Cannon (concussion), the 40-year-old completed 25-of-35 passes for 378 yards and five touchdowns. He was also 5-of-8 for 93 yards on the game-winning jaunt, which concluded with Brandin Cooks’ toe-tapping, 25-yard touchdown with 23 seconds remaining.

“Tom Brady made a special throw,” Cooks said. “I expected nothing less from Tom.”

Cooks caught five passes for 131 yards and his first two scores as a Patriot, and he added a 2-point catch after the game-winner. Rob Gronkowski added eight receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown. Chris Hogan hauled in four balls for 68 yards and a pair of trips to the end zone.

Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson was 22-of-33 for 301 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, and he did most of his damage while running for his life, adding eight runs for 41 yards. If there had been one play that appeared to define the game, it came on first-and-20 with 5:26 remaining when Watson evaded four tacklers and completed a 31-yard pass to D’Onta Foreman. Ka’imi Fairbairn capped the drive with a 36-yard field goal that made it 33-28 with 2:24 to play after the Patriots defense stuffed Lamar Miller on third-and-1 from the 18.

Watson was brilliant and maddeningly elusive, but so was the victory with Brady on the other sideline. The Clemson product’s Hail Mary bid at the buzzer was intercepted by Duron Harmon to cap the wild comeback.

The Patriots’ comeback wasn’t as miraculous as Super Bowl LI or the 2013 rallies against the Browns and Saints, but it was nonetheless extraordinary. After the Texans took a 30-28 lead on Fairbairn’s 31-yard field goal with 12:13 remaining, the Pats’ next two drives resulted in three-and-outs and a pair of third-and-1 failures.

During their final march, Brady also resuscitated the Patriots from third-and-12 with a 15-yard pass to Gronk and third-and-18 with a 27-yarder to Danny Amendola (three catches, 48 yards). And with the clock running, Brady got the offense set with 29 seconds to play and found Cooks between Kareem Jackson and Corey Moore.

“Tom is amazing,” Nate Solder said.

The first half certainly didn’t lack entertainment, either, as the teams had four lead changes in a 13-minute stretch. Trey Flowers’ sack on the opening series helped the defense force a three-and-out, and Brady saved the offense from a quick third-and-13 hole by hitting Cooks for 44 yards on his first pass of the afternoon. Four plays later, Gronkowski warded off Moore to catch a 5-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead. It was the 69th time Brady and Gronk connected for a score.

The Texans exposed a couple defensive quirks to take the lead on a two-play drive at the end of the first quarter. Braxton Miller got behind Flowers’ rare zone drop for a 15-yard catch, and Bruce Ellington breezed past Jonathan Jones on a post route for a 29-yard touchdown catch and 10-7 advantage. Jones was the third corner with Eric Rowe inactive due to a groin injury.

Brady was sacked again on the next series, which was the third in a row that ended without a score, but Stephon Gilmore changed the momentum at the start of the second quarter. Wise drilled Watson, and Gilmore picked the rookie quarterback’s short throw for DeAndre Hopkins and returned it 39 yards to the Texans’ 12-yard line.

On the next play, Hogan raced freely across the end zone when Johnathan Joseph collided with a teammate, and Brady hit him for a 7-yard touchdown and 14-10 lead. Solder didn’t have a great game, allowing two sacks, but he did hold up Whitney Mercilus long enough on the play-action pass to give Hogan enough time to cross through the Texans defense.

The Texans then scored 10 points in 46 seconds, which started with Fairbairn’s 40-yard field goal and ended when Mercilus beat Solder to strip sack Brady, and Jadeveon Clowney plucked the fumble out of thin air and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown and 20-14 edge.

The deficit was short lived. After Brady and Amendola hooked up for 17 yards on third-and-10, Hogan raced through a coverage breakdown for a 47-yard touchdown that pitted the Pats to a 21-20 lead.

The Patriots stretched the margin on the first series of the third quarter when Cooks rocketed past Johnthan Banks for a 42-yard touchdown. Credit the offensive line, which gave Cooks enough time to get deep into his route and behind a linebacker in zone coverage before Brady uncorked a missile that was conducive to the long catch and run and 28-20 advantage.

Watson made an impressive throw to Ryan Griffin in the back of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown to cut it to 28-27 on a series when Watson ran for a third-down conversion and hit Griffin for 35 yards on second-and-22. The Texans were 6-of-14 on third downs in the game, but they had four conversions in their first five opportunities in the second half when they retook the lead at 30-28.